The Kashmir Dialogues
Islamabad, Nov 3: A total of 198 people were killed and 111 others injured in separate terrorist attacks in Pakistan during October, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank said on Saturday.
Despite a slight reduction in the overall number of militant attacks, the month emerged as the second deadliest month of the year, followed by August when 254 people were killed and 150 others injured in such incidents, the data released by PICSS noted.
The killed included 89 militants, 62 security personnel, and 38 civilians whereas 56 civilians, 44 security forces personnel, and 11 militants were injured in the attacks.
The previous month also recorded the highest number of fatalities of militants and security forces, with combatants accounting for 81 per cent of the total deaths, the think tank said, Xinhua news agency reported.
The PICSS data show that although the militant attacks decreased by 12 per cent with 68 incidents recorded in October, the overall death toll surged by 77 per cent compared to September.
The report also highlighted that 87 per cent of the attacks were concentrated in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, followed by 24 incidents in the southwestern Balochistan province, while the remaining attacks occurred in other regions across the South Asian country.
“Pakistan has endured a total of 785 militant attacks during the first 10 months of 2024, resulting in 951 deaths and 966 injuries, reflecting a persistently high level of violence across the country,” the think tank added.–(IANS)
M S Nazki
